The interface of the Comparative lexical database of Mande languages proposes four types of search.
1. Search for a semantic code in the list: in the Database, every Mande root represents an entry and is attributed a “semantic code”, a kind of prototypical meaning for the proto-form. Reflexes of this protoform in individual languages may be identical to the semantic code (in this case, the cell in the column “Sense” remains empty) or it may be different. For example, root TOAD-2 has reflexes Goo póá without indication of its sense (which means that the meaning of póá is the same as the semantic code, i.e. ‘toad’), and Gban ßɔ̰̏ṵ̋ ‘frog’ (this meaning, being different from TOAD, is explicitly indicated).
2. Search in the column “Sense”: if a search by semantic code has not provided a satisfactory result, especially when the meaning of the reflex in an individual language deviates from the semantic code, this search may be helpful. For example, if we want to check the Yaure word sa̋ ‘arrow’, and we do not find it by the semantic code ARROW (there are two such entries in the database, ARROW-1 and ARROW-2, representing different roots), a search by Sense ‘arrow’ will permit us to find that this Yaure word is a reflex of the root which is encoded as BOW (WEAPON)-2.
3. Search for a word in a language (without tonal notation): if we know the form of a word in an individual language and want to know to which Mande root it is attached, this type of search can be used. Select the language in the list, then start typing the word (with tones!) in the small window to the right. You are not obliged to type the entire word; while typing, you’ll see the list of words beginning with the letters already typed (e.g., when you type “bo”, all the forms beginning with “bo” will appear in the list), and you can click on the word you need.
4. Search for proto-forms in: to conduct this search, one must first select one of the Mande groups from the list, then start typing a form preceded by an asterisk. For example, when we select Southwestern Mande, and type *ɗ, all Proto-Southwestern reconstructions beginning with *ɗ will appear, and one can choose the root one needs. Naturally, this search is valid only when a reconstruction of the proto-form in the group is available.